Thumbs up for strays! A dog protests a mass roundup in Mexico City of dozens of stray canines, which authorities contend may have been involved in the mauling deaths of four people. Animal rights activists doubt that few if any of the captured dogs were involved in the attacks.

Photo: Ronaldo Schemidt, AFP/Getty Images

Thumbs up for strays! A dog protests a mass roundup in Mexico City...

Thumbs up for strays! A dog protests a mass roundup in Mexico... Photo-4030353.55131 - SFGate

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Flamingo thieves caught pink-handed: Kayakers Joseph Pendleton (front) and Gabriel Fuselier "liberate" one of the plywood flamingos that were placed the previous night in Baton Rouge's City Park Lake. The traditional arrival of the flamingos heralds the city's Spanish Town Mardi Gras ball and parade. Just as traditional is the rapid disappearance of the flamingos from the lake, and their reappearance in backyards and front porches of local homes.

Minnesota is slightly warmer than the Bay Area: Tony Bambenek drops his hook into a hole on East Lake Winona in very un-Minnesota-like 40-degree temperatures. Ice on the lake remains about 10 inches thick, so there is no danger of Bambenek crashing through.

Batten down the hatches! A towering red dust storm approaches a tugboat off Onslow on the West Australian coast. Boat crewman Brett Martin, who captured the ominous picture 25 nautical miles from the town, said conditions were glassy and flat before the storm hit. But when the wild weather arrived, the swell lifted to two meters, winds increased to 40 knots and visibility was reduced to 100 meters.

Taxi cam captures armed robbery: In this video frame grab provided by the New York Police Department, an unidentified gunman points a pistol at a livery car driver (not shown) in New York. Police say the gunman entered the cab, displayed the firearm and demanded money. He then fired three shots at the driver, Raphael Martinez, who was later hospitalized in stable condition. The photo was made by a security camera mounted in the cab.

The hat-less rounds up the topless: An Italian police officer loses his lid as he strong-arms a gay-rights demonstrator into custody after she and three other women stripped off their tops in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. The women, who had the slogans "In Gay We Trust" and "Shut Up" painted on their backs, were protesting the Vatican's opposition to same-sex marriage. The commotion did not appear to disturb the pope, who delivered his traditional prayer.

Photo: Angelo Carconi, Associated Press

The hat-less rounds up the topless: An Italian police officer loses...

The hat-less rounds up the topless: An Italian police officer... Photo-4027356.55131 - SFGate

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Furry flash mob: A tabby named Da Zai perches on his owner's shoulder at a pro-animal rights rally in Hong Kong that was organized on Facebook. About 1,000 people showed up, some with their pets, to rally against animal abuse.